Self-defense is the very basic right of any human, and preparing for it is the demand of time because no matter in which country or area we stay, we can find ourselves in front of goons, bullies, or robbers to confront with.
For this purpose, a lot of combat sports and fighting disciplines are available. But right now, our focus is on the two biggest disciplines; Karate and Wing Chun. Almost everyone is aware of Karate, but very few people know about Wing Chun in detail. So the question is :
Is Karate better than Wing Chun?I am sorry, but The Answer is Yes and No both!Why and how both at the same time? To the answer, we need to compare both the Martial arts, and in this journey, I will tell you where Karate is better than Wing Chun and where the case is the exact opposite.
Let’s have a deep comparison :
Origin and other differences: Karate Vs. Wing Chun
Wing Chun is the older one and belongs to China, while Karate is relatively new and belongs to Japan.
In Karate, there are also some moves of Wing Chun, maybe to make Karate more defensive.
While On the other hand, Wing Chun can be described as a subsidiary of Kung Fu where the energy of the opponents is used against them.
Wing Chung is about maintaining calmness and being composed while saving own energy letting the opponents waste theirs and striking at very close range.
Both the fighting styles are about self-defense and landing strikes when the time is right.
According to this theory, Wing Chun passes the test with a hundred percent marks.
Because in Wing Chun, a fighter keeps neutralizing every shot thrown at him and makes the opponents frustrated and then waits for the right time to land the own strikes on the tiring and fatigued assailants to end the fight.
While Karate also has this technique but Wing Chung is at the next level in this department. Basic of both the fighting techniques is a hand to hand combat, but In Wing Chung, knife and sticks are also used.
Wing Chun implements soft blocking, while in Karate, hard blocking is practiced.
The reason for soft blocking seems like it keeps the opponents throwing all the strikes one after one as they did not hurt due to soft block, and this way, their energy is wasted.
In boxing, this technique was used by the Greatest Of All Time Muhammad Ali against the unbeaten Heavyweight Champion George Foreman and then Ali knocked him out once he was gassed out in the eighth round. Later on, Ali named it, Rope and Dope.
Defense, Offense, Street Fight in Karate and Wing Chun.
Defense: Is Karate Better than Wing Chun in Defense?
No, Wing Chung is better in this department. Because it is included in the basic lessons of Wing Chun to control breathing, stay calm and cool, dodge the attacks with a laser-like focus, and land counter shots when the time is right.
Offense: Is Karate Better Than Wing Chun in Offense?
Yes, in case of attack, Karate is far better than Wing Chun, where fighters move forward with aggression and land the combinations to not allow the opponents to land their strikes.
Karate also allows clinching, which can be described as standing wrestling. Karate player moves inside the short rand range of the opponents to land the punches and other strikes by hands, while during an outside fight, Karate players throw kicks to maintain the safe distance while damaging opponents with different kicks.
Street Fight: Is Karate Better than Wing Chun during a street fight?
In street fights, there are no rules, no illegal blows, no referee, and no judge. So everything is expected during a street fight, like hitting below the belt or throwing a rabbit punch.
So during a street fight, more skill is needed. If we talk about hitting the opponents, then Karate is better.
When it’s all about defense like a single bully is trying to mess, then Wing Chun is better to keep him at bay and not causing any damage. But usually, this is not the case in street fights, and one usually has to tackle more than one opponent, so Karate is a better option to keep sending them on the ground. Karate fighters can tackle goons and bullies with more ease and accuracy.
Effectiveness: Which one is more effective and beneficial?
If the question is for the short term, then Karate is a better option to learn, but if one has a long period and wants to change the lifestyle and willing to do a life-time practice, then Wing Chun is good to go. Because it is not only a fighting style, it also has mind training, situation judging, gaining focus.
Daily Life Practice: Karate Vs. Wing Chun
Learning Karate is easier because one can easily do it in parallel to a 9 – 5 office job or study. Wing Chun cant be learned along with any other business. Because it’s practice starts from the dawn time and ends at the night; sleeping time. Learning Wing Chung is just like going to a boarding school where students stay in hostels attached to the learning institutions.
CONCLUSION: Which to choose, Karate or Wing Chun?
Just Learn Karate because it is better than Wing Chung in many aspects. Like street fights, tackling bullies, confronting goons and robbers.
Above all, It takes less time to be a master because learning Karate is fun, and takes a few hours in a day, and one can be in a good swing within a few months of practice.
Karate coaches are available all over the world, so a Karate gym or training centers are easy to find in any country.
But if talking about Wing Chun, despite being the old fighting technique as compared to Karate, a lot of people would not be aware of this art because it rarely came into the limelight in films or TV.
So it is so hard to find the coaches of Wing Chun in different countries.
Just like Muay Thai in Thailand, Wing Chun is good to learn from its native land. One needs to travel to China to know what really Wing Chun is.
Karate fascinates the newcomer and outsiders when they see the progress system of Karate where there are different belts starting from white and ending on the black one to represent different promotions and milestones achieved by a student.
There is also a Dan system to show how much progress one has made within a level.
But if you really insist on the mind game and controlling breaths along with improving the deducing power and sensing the danger, you should go for the long route with Wing Chung.
Wing Chung is not like a piece of cake, but it takes full dedication and devotion to learn the art and rules of the game.
There is big news for Karatekas- those who are learning Karate -, that Karate has been accepted in the Olympic games for 2021. It is the only Martial Arts approved by the governing bodies of Olympics.
Now Karate will have more exposure in the world and will solely represent the martial arts until some other combat sports are accepted in the Olympics.